Steak Lovers Beware! I just got off the Texas Eagle on 20 May at Chicago. The night before, I requested the flat iron steak. when it came it looked very good, but one bite and something was wrong. The guy across from me said "did you see the asterick (*) by the flat iron steak on the menue? I had not but roughly what it said was "during high demand, beef shanks (I think) will be substituted during high demand when flat iron steaks are no longer available. Other than that, it was a good trip. Ahead of tme at St Louis but :40 late at Chicago. Jim

Is that for real? Look what wikipedia had to say;
"The beef shank is the shank (or leg) portion of a steer or heifer.
Due to the constant use of this muscle by the animal it tends to be tough, dry, and sinewy, so is best when cooked for a long time in moist heat. As it is very lean, it is widely used to prepare very low-fat ground beef. Due to its lack of sales, it is not often seen at retail. Although, if found in retail, it is very cheap and a low-cost ingredient for beef stock. Beef shank is a common ingredient in soups."

That's a terrible thing for Amtrak to do.

At least they tried to warn ya!

I knew there was a reason that I'm not much of a beef eater!

Is this something new or is just on certain routes? I havn't taken the train yet this year, but I don't remember it from last year on the Crescent and the sample menu online doesn't show the extra note.

I know that if I was in coach and was paying extra for the most expensive meal on the menu I would be pissed, especially if it just randomly showed up without warning. Of course if I was in a sleeper paying for a first class experience I would be pissed as well.

Surely they should tell you exactly what it is you are being served? Granted, sometimes things run out and an alternative is offered, but if you are charging $21 for steak, then $21 for what normally becomes dog food is very underhand, and possibly illegal.
In the UK the Trading Standards would be on their case.

I am very picky about my steak. I only like the very lean cuts of steak and I am a well done kind of person but I still expect it to be juicy and tender. I usually stick to Sirloin or New York Strip. So could you describe Flat Iron to me?

I've never been victimized by the old switcheroo, but after 3 inedible flatirons on 3 different trains I'll never order an Amsteak again.

How did you order it cooked? I read a good review on a rare steak, but that was the only one.

I was planning on trying it in a week, prob. medium-rare, but I don't want to be really disappointed. My girlfriend and I are taking our first overnighter in a roomette, hoping everything goes well so she will be up for it again. The food will probably be a big part of that.

Steak and French Toast were what I was planning on.....

Last fall on the CZ our medium rare flatirons were fine.

After reading all AU Food Critics posts, I too was disappointed in the Flat Iron

I know I gave the Flat Iron a rave review here, but that was probably around January 2008. I may have the steak on the Silver Star this week in one direction or the other, and if I do I'll be sure to tell you how it compares to my memory. But I'm more excited to try the newer regional menu items on this trip!

Think of three playing cards stacked one on top of another. The outer two cards are incredibly tender beef, but the middle card is incredibly tough gristle. The butcher has to make two very precise, large surface area cuts to slice the gristle away from the beef. If the butcher succeeds, the result is like filet mignon; however, any mistake that allows the gristle to remain will ruin the entire cut. A flat iron is a gamble.

I always ask for medium, and the Amsteaks were all medium as requested. Bad meat was the problem. Poor quality. USDA Industrial or something.

Amshanks, on the other hand, have been pretty good on several occasions. They're braised. Braising is a low and slow form of cooking that works well for breaking down connective tissues even in tougher cuts, such as shank and brisket. I use liquid braising in the oven for corned beef, and it always comes out falling-apart tender.

I can certainly understand jim55's discomfiture, which would apply to any kinda surprise switch. Asterisk or no, he shoulda been notified as menus were distributed. In my experience the servers have never failed to inform when a dish was no longer available.

On my SWC rides this year: In March I ordered the Flat Iron Steak. I had it delivered to my roomette. I ordered medium rare and the middle was raw. I ate around it, no biggie. And then last month I ordered it again, medium, which was still very pink. But aside from all of that, I think the steak has an odd taste to it. The second time I had it and paid for it, I didn't think it was worth it. I won't order the steak again. Go chicken!

I'm looking forward to another train ride next month on the SWC and get to ride on the Pacific Surfliner also woohoo, can't wait!

I usually get the Amsteak. I've had one or two that have been pretty bad. Overall they've been pretty good though. My Thanksgiving Amsteak on train 97 last year was actually one of the best I've had in a while.

I always order with the instructions: "Bloody rare." So far, I have gotten what I asked for and it has been delicious. I like my meat red and juicy in the middle. That's how I cook it on my grill at home, and thats how I order it on Amtrak. I have always loved the flat iron. My girlfriend was mildly disappointed with the one we had on the Capitol Limited a few weeks ago, though.

I just checked Amtrak's sample menu- there's no info or clue that they are doing any substitution for the Flat Iron Steak.

I hope that there's plenty of steaks available in June.....Won't fool hubby with beef shanks

I've ordered flat iron steak and it was wonderful!

All I can say folks is "I got something other than a flat iron steak". The menue Asterick(*) did give them a license to steal and they did. Who ever at Amtrak level that suggested this shoud be .... I don't think "drawn and quartered" is politicaly correct... so take them out(as Gen Dreedle said) and Sho-- them. What worthless staff come up with these options? JIM

Money and maybe the vendor who provides Amtrak wtih food said this summer we won't be able to ensure we can get enough steaks to you for the peak but we can provide these other beef items instead. What's Amtrakt to do? They are kind of powerless, so they add the astrick and hope to keep people happy.

Well, another situation where amtrak is unprepared to handle a normal situation. Surly there are beef suppliers other than the one they have contracted with. Worse yet, if they are aware so far out in advance as to actually put it in the menu, then they are really falling down on the procurement job. Kind of like the toilets that every one but amtrak supervisors seem to know are a problem.
I reported at least a year ago that the quality of the Flat Iron Steaks had deteriorated badly on several trips I took. They were certainly not the quality that had been previously provided. Later on we took more trips and the meat seemed to return close to the original standard. Something went wrong with what was provided then as well.
If your running a company and your aware that your unable to provide the listed quality you should be looking for a way to correct it with an equal product not a low quality replacement. Again, what good restaurant chain would get away with this. More of your government in action with lots more to come.

Amtrak should have a contract with said vendor who provides the food for the trains that (I assume) requires certain foods to be provided, such as 'Railroad French Toast' or 'Flat Iron Steak'. That being said, if the vendor cannot obtain the steaks from their source then they should (or would) seek the missing item(s) from another source.
There is no reason to assume that they would not be able to get the steaks from another source, unless, we have a beef shortage!

But the asterisk doesn't keep people happy, it just gives Amtrak the power to do whatever they want.

It's Amtrak food...nothing should ever surprise you. For the prices charged on board in the dining car...it's all pretty sad. I always go sleeper, which is good, because I would have a huge problem with the prices.

I hope it's a temporary issue-all the more reason to go earlier for dinner. I made a big note on my list weeks ago to get early rezzies for dinner to avoid such things as them running out of selections we may want. I am not pleased with the prices either, and that did figure into going with the sleeper too. That way we don't have to worry about extra $$$ for food. Still expect to have a good time!!!!

The Flat Iron Steak
Is it really the best cut of Beef?'

It starts off "Though a flavorful and relatively tender cut of meat, the top blade roast has a serious flaw in the middle of it; an impossibly tough piece of connective tissue running through the middle. "

Possibly, some food vendors aren't as good as some others in preparing this cut of beef?

When in sleeper, I feel duty bound to eat the most expensive items. The steaks are pretty good overall. When in coach it tends to be the burger option! I don't eat much meat at home, so don't claim to be an expert, but I would be astounded if a "shank" was in fact the item substituted.. It would not look anything like a steak.



Mind you, having seen that poor animal, I might go back to being vegetarian again..

Ed

Hell no, that's not the answer. If we are not meant to eat cows then why are they made out of steak then?!

yeah we eat meat deal with it. i would like to see BABY BACK RIBS if they ever bring back full dining service.

MMMM, rib steaks!!!!! Yum!

Since no one described the Flat Iron Steak I looked it up on the Internet and this is what it says:The Flat Iron Steak (also know as a Top Blade Steak), though a flavorful and relatively tender cut of meat, the top blade roast has a serious flaw in the middle of it; an impossibly tough piece of connective tissue running through the middle. Flat iron steaks usually have a significant amount of marbling. In the normal grades, marinade is required to achieve tenderness on par with more expensive cuts, such as ribeye or strip steak. It is best if it isn't cooked too well beyond medium. Like I said I only eat WELL done meat so rethinking my thought of ordering it on my train trip.

You might as well just give up steak altogether if you only eat it well done.

I know many people think that but I happen to like it WELL done and am happy with what I get most of the time. To be perfectly honest if I am dining with someone who orders their steak anywhere beyond a little pink I can't even look at it. I have a week stomach I guess.

Having worked as a meat packer I will say this-- there is no way that they could make a shank look like a steak-- at least not to the trained eye. You cannot cut a shank into a steak, by definition any part of the shank cannot be made into a steak-- a steak is higher grade meat taken from the hind quarter, the shank is not.

If somebody grilled shank and put it in front of you, assuming they deboned it properly, it would look like some large hunks of meat loosely connected by fat-- not a single cut.

That being said, are you sure they didn't say flank? Flank steaks are tough, and really shouldn't be grilled-- they're more for braising like shank meat, but unlike shank meat it can be taken from the hind-quarter and cut into steaks.

If Amtrak is having a hard time getting enough Flat Iron Steaks or getting quality steaks why not just print on the menu that if they run out of Flat Iron Steaks they will be substituting a "?? steak", what ever that steak is. They should pick a steak that would be comparable and use it every time to substitute. Then the servers should tell you when you order which they are serving so you can pick something else if that is what you want to do. Seems so simple to me.

Sorry, folks--I might not try the steak this trip. The crab cakes are so good I'm tempted to order them again on the return!!! Dining staff and food are top class on 91 today. I'll post a trip soon... just had to rave about the crab cakes, and this great crew, now

If you go here http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/menus/SampleMenu1_10-2-2008.pdf
and read the description, flat iron steak is described as being marinated. That should help with the tenderness issue.
Since this one is marinated, it may be ok ordered medium. You won't know unless you try it.
I like mine med rare, sometimes medium depending on the cut.

I've had the Flat Iron Steak several times and all were pretty good! I am surprised by the substitutions. I would think they would simply indicate an item is not available when you order and give you the opportunity to make a second selection. This is what restaurants do.

I had one this week on the CZ and it was good.

Ordered one on the Coast Starlight Tuesday night and 2 showed up on my plate. Who am I to complain?

as long as they didn't charge you for the extra yeah 2 for 1. eat one and take the other to your seat or room for a snack later.

Amshanks? Sounds like the title of a prison train movie: The Amshank Redemption

Scroll back up a bit from your post, and check out post #27.

Yes I saw that post. Sorry I repeated the part about the tough tissue running through the middle.
What I was really wanting to know was what the steak was like cooked since I have never ordered it. Meaning was it a lean cut or a marbled cut, which means some traces of fat, which I do not like. I would never order a ribeye for instance because it has fat, also I don't eat ribs because they have fat, and so on. I am a VERY LEAN, NO FAT at all, WELL DONE person with all my meat choices. With the exception of a good lean chuck or sirloin burger. I am aware there are "rare steak" lovers. I am just not one of them. I'll go ahead and "jump in front of the train" so to speak and add I don't eat seafood either. So depending on what the Chiefs Choice is, the only other option seems to be chicken and I only eat the white meat of chicken. So yes I am a picky eater but I am sure I am not the only picky eater here.
Anyway I appreciate reading about what to be prepared for. There is a lot of good info on these forums.

I love ribeye steak, there's a good reason why it's expensive. Ribeye and porterhouse are my favorites, NY Strip is good too. I find that steak cut with no fat is usually tough and has no flavor.

Okay, for those of you who don't know what I am talking about with USDA regulations.. see my earlier post...

I just checked with a butcher friend of the family. I'm the son of a meat packer, a former meat packer myself, and my grandfather was a locally famous meat cutter.

The USDA definition for "steak" is indeed a cut of meat prepared from the hindquarter... the shank is NOT part of the hind quarter. You can of course eat shank meat, but it would never be passible as steak because of look, texture, and flavor. It would also be against the law, and the USDA can impose fines on eateries that mislabel their products. The FDA can shut down eateries if they find the transgression serious enough.

Again, talking to out local butcher (who works for a family run farm) he suspects that flank steak seems like a likely solution to this problem. When prepared, flank steak is flat and lean-- two qualities of flat irons. It can also be cut rectangular by slipping the knife across the tail and tking away that part of the cut. In addition the flank steak is not well grilled, it would be tough and tasteless-- much like the meat the OP describes having.

So if the OP is right about a shank substitution, Amtrak has some issues with the USDA and FDA. However, it may perhaps be safer to assume (since Aramark has been in the business of supplying steaks for years... and would know regulations about how to label "steak") that somebody along the line mistook "flank steak" for the incorrect "shank steak".

Do you have to order your food in advance? How does that work exactly? Interested to know.

you talking about eating in the dining car. it works like a sit down restaurant. a person comes and ask you want you want then you get your food. if in sleeper food is free if in coach you have to pay and you get 2nd dibs after the sleeping car paxs get there reservations first.

Yeah, I'm in the sleeper. I didn't know if was a sit down restaurant or what. Thanks for clearing that up. OK...I thought I read somewhere that you had to make reservations.

someone from the dining car will go around and ask what time you want lunch or dinner. breakfast is first come first serve.